Lawrence Lake

How big is Lawrence Lake?

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What kind of fish can you catch in Lawrence Lake?

What are the closest cities to Lawrence Lake?

Are there boat launches on Lawrence Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Lawrence Lake?

Lawrence Lake is a 395 acre lake located 9 miles north of Taconite, MN. The lake is part of the Prairie River system and can experience large fluctuations in water levels. The lake has a public access on the southwest shore and is managed primarily for walleye and black crappie.

The walleye gill-net catch in 2010 was 2.4/net, which is higher than any previous assessment and above the lake management plan goal of 2.0/net. Sampled walleye ranged from 7.5 to 22.0 inches, with a mean length of 12.6 inches. Walleye recruitment appeared consistent, with ages 1 through 6, and 8 represented in the sample. Mean length-at-age was similar to the statewide average for all ages. Walleye reached 15.8 inches in 4 years. No walleye stocking has occurred since 1992, so all fish are the result of natural reproduction or migration within the system. Due to the connectivity with Prairie River system, walleye abundance in Lawrence Lake likely fluctuates on a seasonal basis.

Catch rates for black crappie were 3.4/gill net and 3.2/trap net. The gill-net catch was below the management plan goal of 6.0/net, but both catch rates are within the expected ranges for this lake class and similar to previous surveys. Gill-net sampled crappie ranged from 5.8 to 10.4 inches with a mean length of 7.8 inches. Recruitment was somewhat inconsistent, with 68% of the sample attributed to one year class (2006). Mean length-at-age was below the statewide average for ages 2 and 3, and similar to the statewide average for all other ages. Black crappie took 6 years to reach 9.7 inches.

The northern pike gill-net catch declined from 5.9/net in the previous assessment to 3.0/net in 2010. This catch rate is below the expected range for similar lakes and below the lake management plan goal of 4.0/net. Size structure also declined from the previous assessment with no fish over 25 inches captured. Ages 1 through 6 were represented, though age 3 fish made up 42% of the sample. Mean length-at-age for northern pike was similar to the statewide average for all ages. Northern pike reached 24.3 inches in 6 years.

As in previous assessments, the bluegill trap-net catch rate remained near the lake class first quartile at 4.9/net. Size structure was moderate. Sampled bluegill ranged from 4.7 to 9.1 inches, with a mean length of 6.9 inches. Ages 3 through 7 were represented, with ages 4 and 5 making up 64% of the sample. Mean length-at-age was above the lake class average for all ages. Bluegill reached 8.2 inches in 6 years.

The gill-net catch for yellow perch was near the lake class median at 10.7/net, up from 4.8/net in the previous assessment. Size structure was poor with no fish over 8 inches in the sample.

Other species captured in test nets included bowfin, brown bullhead, yellow bullhead, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, tullibee and white sucker. Near-shore IBI (Index of Biotic Integrity) sampling with a small-mesh seine and back-pack electrofishing was conducted in 2010 in an attempt to capture smaller fishes not normally encountered with standard sampling gear. Additional species captured in near-shore sampling included blackchin shiner, blacknose shiner, creek chub, golden shiner, sand shiner, spottail shiner, logperch, Iowa darter, johnny darter, tadpole madtom, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass.

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Are there any state parks near Lawrence Lake?